Pembroke Park Urges Businesses To Advertise City

PEMBROKE PARK — Business owners seeking zoning variances from Town Hall will soon be asked to provide a favor in return -- a promise to identify Pembroke Park as the town where they do business.

Noting that many businesses in the town advertise their location as in Hallandale or Hollywood, Commissioner Al Kramer suggested that the town extract a non-binding promise from merchants when they ask for variances from town codes.

``We`re doing something for them, so let`s get them to promise to do something for the town,`` he said last week while reviewing a merchant`s request to be excused from the town`s sign ordinance.

``We`re doing all the work improving the town, to make it a better place to live and do business, and they never mention Pembroke Park. I`m getting tired of it.``

Other commissioners liked the idea, even though they conceded they could not base their decision to grant or deny variances on whether the merchant agrees.

``It`s a PR thing we can do,`` said Mayor J. Paige Caves.

Commissioners began thinking of other ways to get the town properly identified.

``Maybe when they come in for occupational licenses we should hand them a little card reminding them they are in Pembroke Park,`` suggested Commissioner Daniel Hoffman.

``It should say something like, `We`re proud of the town, I hope you are, too,` `` said Caves.

Part of the town`s problem is that the U.S. Postal Service requires all addresses in the town, which does not have a post office of its own, to carry Hollywood or Hallandale addresses.